Fear…

It’s in the air. Can you smell it? I certainly can.

What exactly are some Clay Aiken fans fearful of?

1) That this new album will be Velveeta. 2) That this new album won’t be to their discriminating tastes. 3) That, because of points 1 and 2, Clay will get a critical drubbing. 4) That, again because of points 1 and 2, Clay will lose fans. 5) That, because of points 3 and 4, Clay will leave the music business.

Point number 1: well, yeah, it could be processed beyond belief, and melt smoothly to make a cheese sauce. But, IMO, there are a few problems with this reasoning. I firmly believe that Clay has fairly cheesy tendencies. Sure, he’s surprised me more than once, and I’m sure he’ll do that again. But, he’s said he likes songs with good melodies, and to many people, that equals “cheese.”

Point number 2: tastes vary. I personally can’t stand certain artists or songs…but that doesn’t mean my viewpoint, or anyone else’s, is less or more valid. Clay’s taste in music may not be someone else’s either – but that doesn’t mean that SOMEONE out there might not agree with him.

A side point that touches points number 1 and 2: none, I repeat, NONE, of the fans have heard the album yet. I’m finding it hard to wrap my mind around the fact that this album is getting such bad word of mouth just from the description in Clay’s blog. Personally, I’ve “opened my mind” (to take words from a different Clay blog) and will try my best to go into listening to the album with open ears and mind.

Point number 3: I’m fully expecting this. I’m also expecting DJ’s, late night comics, and other assorted jerks to continue to pick on Clay for not being “cool.” I think that if Diane Sawyer asked Clay here in 2006 if he was willing to be leader of the nerds, he’d still say “yep.” He doesn’t seem to care all that much (at least publically), so I’m going with putting on a public face too. Besides, what is “cool?” Can anyone define it? “Cool” is like “taste” to me…everyone’s version is different. That’s the way of the world, and that’s fine with me.

Point number 4: yep, see this one happening too. That happens in fandoms all the time – things change. Either the artist changes so much that the fan isn’t happy, or else the fan changes. It happens. What some people seem to forget though, is that, in many cases, for every fan that leaves, another one takes their place. And even if half the people who bought a copy of MOAM doesn’t buy a copy of the new album…that’s still almost 1.5 million copies sold. Not too shabby, I’d say.

And that brings me to Point number 5. With this point, there are other things that could conceivably play into his leaving the business, but I’m going to leave those out for now. Another blog for another time…

Honestly, I just can’t see this happening. Clay is an incredibly strong man from what I’ve seen, and also a pretty smart one as well. I think he can see the “big picture” and understand that critics will probably never like him (as much as he might want that), or that fans will come and go. Yet, he’ll still be in the music business. I feel he loves “making a difference” or “using his voice” (choices, choices…) in this way, as much as the business aspect can be a real downer.

But you never know. He could surprise me and pick up and say “that’s it, I’m done.” If he does – I’ll be sad, in a very selfish way. I want to see and hear Clay for the rest of my life…but if anything interferes with his happiness, I’d be encouraging him to leave the business too. My key is that I want him happy. Since I can’t get into his beautiful head, I’ll never know what exactly makes him happy (even with lots of guesses), and so…I just have to accept. (Besides, there’s a ton of clack I’ve NEVER downloaded. g)

The smell of fear. In my case, I’m just going to use a bunch of air freshener and enjoy being a Clay Aiken fan.